GMO "CHICKEN" COMING TO ROOST!-LEGAL CHALLENGE AGAINST THE PERPETRATORS

Genetically modified food is so common in the US, it does not make news any more with many Americans, resigned to their helplessness as the State is refusing to check the spread of these potentially harmful versions of many staple foods. Obviously the regulatory authorities are either afraid of the financial muscle of giant GMO companies which are dominating the landscape in that country or the dangerous nexus between politicians and these monopolists, paralyzing the entire food safety monitoring system of the country. It is shocking that more than 80% of foods in the American market contain varying levels of GMO foods without the citizen ever knowing about it because of the non-transparent labeling policy. It is in this context that the accidental contamination of natural wheat fields in some farms in the US with GM wheat came as a shock to many GMO sensitive consumers and traditional wheat farmers. It befitting that the affected farmers have gone for legal action against those responsible  for it demanding financial compensation. Here is a take on this new development with far reaching implications.  

Two wheat farms in Eastern Washington filed a lawsuit Thursday against agricultural giant Monsanto, claiming their business has been damaged by the discovery of genetically modified wheat in Oregon. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Spokane, seeks class-action status and damages to be determined by the court. Separately, the Center for Food Safety filed a lawsuit in the same court Thursday also seeking class-action status for Northwest wheat farmers. Its fellow plaintiffs are Clarmar Farms and wheat farmer Tom Stahl, both of Douglas County The actions come after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said last week that a farmer in Oregon found genetically modified wheat in his field almost a decade after Monsanto stopped testing that type of wheat. The two Washington farms in the first suit — Wahl Ranch in Adams County and Dreger Enterprises in Lincoln County — grow soft white wheat, the variety prevalent in the Northwest and the type grown by the Oregon farmer who found a genetically modified strain in his field. As a result of the discovery, Japan stopped its customary order of soft white wheat last week. "We've seen a drop in future and current cash prices on wheat already, and at least one shipment of wheat turned away or refused. We think this is actual damage," said Kim Stephens, a partner at Tousley Brain Stephens in Seattle, one of two firms representing the farms. The other is the Hausfeld, a Washington, D.C., firm. Monsanto Chief Litigation Counsel Kyle McClain said in an emailed statement that there is "scant basis for a lawsuit."

Of course the GMO lobby will protest with all its power that they are not responsible for the accidental contamination and condemn the class action suit with contempt! The consequences of the discovery of GM wheat among natural wheat plants will definitely affect American wheat exports in a very significant way. While almost the whole world is shunning GMO products, America is stubbornly clinging to GMO products which are being showed through the throat of millions of consumers who have no choice but to continue with their lives like a conditioned flock of sheep! It is still not clear as to how the American government certifies GM products as safe and natural when tons of scientific data say otherwise! It is time that the rest of the world massively boycott American agricultural products to send the message that GM foods are not acceptable unless independent confirmation about their safety is established. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE DAY OF RECKONING FOR GM CROPS-REACHING THE DEAD END?

GM foods are facing enormous consumer resistance due to the "trust deficit" that exists to day between the GM food producers and the consumer, mainly because of the "opaque" manner in which the former work. While the safety of GM foods has not yet been established beyond a shadow of doubt, its potential environmental hazard is yet to be realized widely. It is another matter that 80% of the processed foods consumed in the US contain one or more of GM food ingredients, without the consumer ever knowing about it! The emerging consumer awareness about the uncertainties inherent in GM foods is putting pressure on the industry to declare the presence of GM ingredients in packed foods as a part of the label. Though the GM food lobby is powerful enough to deflect criticisms, the recent report that even they are rattled by the emergence of weedicide resistant weeds which seem to have adversely affected the crop yields. Here is a take on this new development with far reaching implications.

"This is a complex problem," said weed scientist David Shaw in remarks to a national "summit" of weed experts in Washington to come up with a plan to battle weeds that have developed resistance to herbicides. Weed resistance has spread to more than 12 million U.S. acres and primarily afflicts key agricultural areas in the U.S. Southeast and the corn and soybean growing areas of the Midwest. Many of the worst weeds, some of which grow more than six feet and can sharply reduce crop yields, have become resistant to the popular glyphosate-based weed-killer Roundup, as well as other common herbicides. Monsanto Co's Roundup worked well for many years. It became prevalent with the commercialization of "Roundup Ready" crops Monsanto developed to tolerate the weedkiller, making it easy for farmers to treat their fields. But now super weeds have developed a resistance to Roundup, and farmers are scrambling to figure out how to combat their weeds. "We don't have that next technology. We have to get back to the fundamentals," said Shaw, who chairs a task force that is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on how to tackle weed resistance problems. Several farmers spoke out about their struggles at the summit, as did experts from the USDA and crop consultants. "This is our number one issue," said Arkansas crop consultant Chuck Farr. "It is a challenge every day, every field." Harold Coble, an agromist and weed scientist with the USDA, called the problem of weed resistance a "game changer" and said farmers must become more versatile. Too many have simply been relying on the chemicals for too long, he said.

Whether the above development will restrain further growth of the GM food industry is some thing to be watched in future. Already the cost of GM seeds and the high cost of cultivation of such crops are impediments for the growth of the industry. Promised yield increase using GM seeds is not happening in many places where cultivation of GM crops has been popular for some time. If the GM technology innovators are not able to find a solution to this emerging dangers, there is every likelihood of farmers reverting to conventional agricultural practices which may sound the death knell for the GM crops industry.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com